Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2023 New York Times 10 Best California Books of 2023 Best Books of 2023: Smithsonian, BookRiot Best Books of August 2023: New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, Christian Science Monitor, InsideHook, BookRiot, WNET AllArts, Arlington Magazine A trenchant reclamation of the Chinese American movie star, whose battles against cinematic exploitation and endemic racism are set against the currents of twentieth-century history. Born into the steam and starch of a Chinese laundry, Anna May Wong (19051961) emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywoods most famous Chinese American actress, a screen siren who captivated global audiences and signed her publicity photoswith a touch of defianceOrientally yours. Now, more than a century after her birth, Yunte Huang narrates Wongs tragic life story, retracing her journey from Chinatown to silent-era Hollywood, and from Weimar Berlin to decadent, prewar Shanghai, and capturing American television in its infancy. As Huang shows, Wongs rendezvous with history features a remarkable parade of characters, including a smitten Walter Benjamin and (an equally smitten) Marlene Dietrich. Challenging the parodically racist perceptions of Wong as a Dragon Lady, Madame Butterfly, or China Doll, Huangs biography becomes a truly resonant work of history that reflects the raging anti-Chinese xenophobia, unabashed sexism, and ageism toward women that defined both Hollywood and America in Wongs all-too-brief fifty-six years on earth. 40 black-and-white images